Ye Shixue's words were like a sharp blade piercing Ye Tian's heart. His face instantly turned pale, and a surge of blood welled up in his chest, which he couldn't stop from spewing out of his throat.
"Brat, look at you. What gives you the right to be with Sister Xue? A good-for-nothing will always be a good-for-nothing. A toad lusting after a swan's flesh. Why don't you take a good look at yourself? We'll let this matter drop for today. But if you have any improper ideas about Sister Xue again, you'd better watch your back," Ye Feng said coldly.
At that moment, Ye Shixue's expression remained indifferent. She showed not a shred of concern for the blood-spitting Ye Tian. "Brother Tian, I hope you'll remember Brother Feng's words. We're not from the same world. Just forget about me. I hope you can stay here; after all, your parents still need you to take care of them."
Ye Tian glanced at Ye Shixue and Ye Feng. "Ye Shixue, remember what you said today. One day, you will regret this. Don't come crying to me then."
After speaking, Ye Tian turned to leave. But Ye Feng just laughed and said, "A good-for-nothing has a chance to become a genius? Isn't that the biggest joke in the world? You should be more concerned with how you're going to stay here! HAHAHAHA!"
Instantly, the surrounding disciples began to gossip amongst themselves, their words sharp and cruel. But Ye Tian turned a deaf ear to it all. His heart was already broken; no words, no matter how vicious, could hurt him any more.
After returning to his quarters, Ye Tian sat quietly at his table. The furious flames in his eyes seemed ready to ignite the very air around him. He was enduring, forgetting...
'Ye Shixue, I never thought you would treat me like this. One day, I will make you regret the choice you made today. I'll make you understand just how foolish your decision was.' Ye Tian vowed silently in his heart.
Just then, Ye Tian felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest, precisely where the mysterious Dragon Pearl was located. This was the first time such a thing had happened since he'd obtained the mysterious Dragon Pearl, and it startled him.
Stubbornly, Ye Tian endured the excruciating pain in his chest and looked inward at his body's condition. He discovered a faint golden light had appeared on the surface of the Dragon Pearl. This light seemed to contain a powerful Energy that was slowly being channeled into his first Dragon Vein.
This bizarre phenomenon brought a flicker of joy to Ye Tian's heart. Although the pain was unbearable, he could feel his strength increasing significantly as the Energy entered his Dragon Vein. If it continued, he felt he could soon break through to the Fourth Realm of his first Dragon Vein.
Forcibly suppressing his excitement, Ye Tian slowly began to circulate the Energy from his Dragon Vein throughout his body. At this moment, he seemed to forget time and all his troubles, entering a state of complete self-forgetfulness. He sat there, motionless, like an old monk in deep Meditation.
An unknown amount of time passed before the golden light on the surface of the mysterious Dragon Pearl faded away, and the flow of Energy stopped. However, a joyous smile appeared on Ye Tian's face.
Without even realizing it, he had broken through. And it had been a bizarre breakthrough at that.
Ye Tian clearly remembered the War Dragon's phantom saying that he couldn't yet use the Dragon Pearl's Energy. Yet today, it had activated inexplicably, leaving him completely baffled. He wanted to understand what had happened but had no idea where to start.
"I can't believe I broke through so easily. If only I could get a few more bursts of this Energy!" Ye Tian muttered to himself.
"Brat, you want more? To allow you to absorb the Energy within the Dragon Pearl, I used up all the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi I've gathered over the past six months. And you're still not satisfied?" The ancient voice of the Divine Dragon's phantom suddenly echoed in Ye Tian's mind.
Ye Tian's heart skipped a beat, and he froze on the spot as if petrified. After a long moment, he blurted out, "Didn't you say you were going into a deep slumber? Were you lying to me?"
"You ungrateful brat, how dare you question me? If I hadn't helped you, you wouldn't have been able to break through to the Fourth Layer even in three years. Wanting to stay here would have been nothing but a fool's dream," the Divine Dragon said.
Ye Tian was no fool. 'I absolutely cannot afford to offend this Divine Dragon,' he thought. 'I can't believe he knows everything that's happening outside. Since he can help me, I'll have to be more respectful from now on. Who knows, if I make him happy, I might just break through to another Realm.'
"Brat, don't get your hopes up. Absorbing the Energy from the Dragon Pearl is something you'll basically have to do on your own. Even if I wanted to help, my hands are tied.
Unless you can obtain a great deal of Spirit Medicine or absorb powerful Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, but for you, right now, that is fundamentally impossible," the Divine Dragon said.
Ye Tian didn't answer immediately. He was mulling over the Divine Dragon's words. 'As long as I have enough Spirit Medicine or powerful Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, I'll be able to absorb the Dragon Pearl's Energy again. Breaking through to a new Realm would be incredibly easy then.'
"What are you standing there spacing out for? Right now, you need to consolidate your new Realm. Feel the difference between this level and your previous one. Look at you, so pathetic. Why did I even choose you in the first place," the Divine Dragon continued, though its voice was noticeably weaker.
Hearing this, Ye Tian immediately began to consolidate his Realm. He discovered that the meridians in his body were much wider than before, and his strength was several times greater. The changes after advancing a single Realm were immense, filling him with a sense of euphoria.
After a long while, Ye Tian stopped. His face was covered in sweat, and a foul, nauseating stench was faintly wafting from his body, which he found strange. He didn't understand why advancing a Realm would cause such a phenomenon.
After taking off his clothes, Ye Tian discovered a layer of black, greasy filth covering his body. 'Could this black stuff be the impurities from inside my body? Can absorbing the Dragon Pearl's Energy also change my constitution?' Ye Tian wondered.
In fact, Ye Tian's guess was correct. Absorbing the Dragon Pearl's Energy did indeed have the effect of Washing Marrow. This was one of the reasons the Dragon Pearl was so precious. After expelling the impurities from one's body, future Cultivation would yield twice the results with half the effort.
Ye Tian found some clean water, quickly washed the filth from his body, and changed into a clean set of clothes. He now felt refreshed and invigorated. Both his sight and hearing were much sharper than before, and he couldn't help but feel another surge of excitement.
"Brat, one must keep a low profile. This is especially true in a world where the weak are prey for the strong. I didn't want to meddle in your affairs any further, but to ensure you can fulfill my wish, I will specially impart to you a Cultivation Technique that can conceal your true strength. I trust you'll know what to do," the Divine Dragon's voice interjected once more.